Hundreds gathered on a cold Monday night in New York at Phillips auction house and the Metropolitan Club to celebrate the life and legacy of Walter Robinson, the beloved art-world figure who died in February 2025. The event, organized by the New York Academy of Art as part of its annual “Take Home a Nude” fundraiser, featured silent and live auctions, a posthumous honorary doctorate awarded to Robinson, and the announcement of the Walter Robinson Scholarship funded by auction proceeds. The evening raised over $800,000, with works by students and acclaimed artists like Richard Prince and Kiki Smith on offer, and Robinson’s painting *Blood on the Sun* (2018) selling for $35,000.
This event matters because it underscores Robinson’s multifaceted impact on the art world—as a figurative painter, pioneering art journalist who launched Artnet Magazine in 1996, and a dedicated mentor to emerging artists. The scholarship ensures his legacy of supporting young talent continues, while the honorary doctorate and outpouring of tributes from figures like Jeffrey Deitch and Linda Yablonsky highlight his enduring influence on New York’s art community. The gathering also reflects the art world’s ability to blend celebration, fundraising, and institutional recognition in a single evening.